Stocking



1935- G. WEINHOLZ 1,987,090

STOCKING Filed April 4, 1934 IN VEN TOR.

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ATTORNEY;

Patented Jan. 8, 1935.

UNITED STATES STOCKING Gustav Weinholz, Milwaukee, Wis, assignor toPhoenix-Hosiery Company, Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of WisconsinApplication April 4, 1934, Serial No. 718,899

6 Claims.

This invention relates to hosiery and more particularly to the so-calledfull-fashioned hosiery.

In the manufacture of full-fashioned hosiery, the marginal portions ofthe 'selvage edges of the knitted fabric are sewed together inoverlapping relation along the rear of the hose. The edges of the fabricare on the iImer side of the hose at the seam. The seam extends the fulllength of the hose including the heel and the leg portions thereof, andis constituted by a conventional seaming stitch as produced on a regularseaming machine used in this art. This machine, which may be of theso-called Union Special seamingstitch type, produces an interlockedchain stitch having interlocked thread portions and fabric penetratingthread portions. The interlocking thread portions are cast over theoverlapping edges of the fabric and the fabric penetrating threadportions extend through the fabric across 50 the seam where they areexposed on the outer side of the hose. Thus the cross threads of thestitch are subject to breakage andmore especially so at the heel portionof the hose where abrasion occurs with the shoe'of the wearer of thehose, As this stitch is capable of raveling when any of its threads aresevered, a break in the seam, which more frequently occurs at the heelof the hose than elsewhere by abrasion from the shoe, spreads along theseam and renders the hose-beo yond practical repair. This is especiallyso of silk and other thin or sheer hosiery now being manufactured, andan otherwise perfect hose must be discarded as being unfit for wear byrea-' son of a break in its seam. g

The general purpose and object of my invention is to form this seam,especially at the heel of the hose where the greater wear occurs, of atleast two seaming stitches applied to the fabric and arranged with onestitch enclosing the other, whereby the cross threads-of the innerstitch will be offset inwardly from the cross threads of the outerstitch and thus be protected from contact with the shoe. This reenforcesthe seam along the portion subject to the greater wear and maintains theseam intact even though the cross threads of the outer stitch may besevered or broken by abrasion by the heel of the shoe or otherwise.

A further object of my invention is to apply the seaming stitches withtheir direction of ravel in opposite directions so that any break whichmay occur in the seam will bev stopped at the place of g the break andbe prevented from extending along the seam in either direction. Theadvantage of this is that the break cannot spread along the seam and maybe readily and easily repaired to prolong the usefulness of thestocking.

The invention relates further to the method employed in applying theseseaming stitches to the hose with their directions of ravel in oppositedirections.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. lshows a full-fashioned ho'se having its rear seam reenforced inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the seam at the heelof the hose taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic plan view of the-rear seam looking at the samefrom the outer side of the hose; and I Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of therear seam looking at the same from the side opposite that of Fig. 3 andillustrating the application of the stitching with their direction ofravel in opposite directions.

In the drawing, 1, 2 indicate respectively the ,leg and the footportions of a full-fashioned hose. These portions are integrally formedin the usual manner of knitting the hose on a full-fashioned knittingmachine. The fabric is composed of courses and wales made up ofinterlocking loops of the thread orthreads employed forproducing thefabric. For clearness of illustration the fabric is shown plain in thedrawing.

In seaming the hose after the fabric has been knitted, the marginalportions 3, 4 of the fabric along the rear of the stocking are sewedtogether in overlapping relation as shown in Fig. 2. These edges arefirst sewed together by a continuous seaming stitch, marked 5 in Fig. 1,extending the full length of the hose from the base of the heel to theupper end of the stocking and through the welt, if one is provided. Thestitch is applied by running the stocking while inside out through aregular seaming machine-as for example of the type heretofore referredto, from heel end of the hose to the upper end thereof. The stitchproduced is of the interlocked chain type capable of raveling in onedirection only. The interlocking thread portions 6 of this stitch arecast over the edges of the fabric and the penetrating thread portions 7of the stitch extend through the fabric across the seam as shown inFigs. 2 and 3.. In running the fabric through the seaming machine,starting with the heel end of the stocking, the direction of ravel ofthe stitch 5 is from the upper end of the stocking toward the heel.

After making the first stitch 5, the stocking while still inside out isagain run through the seaming machine to provide a second seamingstitch8forthatportionoftheseamalongthe heel from the base of-the heel-tothe upper end of the heel where it joins the leg portion 1. This secondstitch, like. the first stitch, has itsinterlockingthreadportionsQcastover theedges'of the fabricand its fabricpenetratingthread portions 10 extending through the fabric across theseaminsubstantiailyparalieirelation tothecross portions 'l'of the firststitch as shown inl'lg. 2; The second stitchin being laidover the firststitch encloses the same, and-the cross threads 10 of the second stitchbeing on the outer side'of the seam are expond when the stocking isworn, and protect the cross threads '1 of the first stitch. Thus thecross threads of the inner stitch do not contact with the shoe when thehose is worn and the seam is maintained intact even though the crossthreads of the outer stitch may by abrasion of the shoe be severed orbroken.

Ilhe second or outer stitch 8 is capable of raveling in one directiononly. It is applied to the seam. with itsravel direction reversed tothat of the inner or first stitch 5. This is accomplished by running thehose through the .machine in an opposite direction to the feed of thehose through the machine when l y the first stitch 5. Thus the directionof ravel of the two stitches at the heel seam are in opposite directionsand any break in the seam by reason of the severance of boththreads'will be stopped and be prevented from extending in eitherdirection. This localizes the break and enables a repair to be made sothat the usefulness of the hose is prolonged. I

The manner in which the two seaming stitches 5 and 8 are applied to thefabric-so that their direction of ravel is in opposite directions alongthe seam. is clearly illustrated in Fig. 4. Each stitch is composed oftwo continuous threads. For the stitch 5 I have indicated in Fig. 4 thetwo threads as 5a and 5b. The thread seaming stitch 5 so constructed isofthe inter-' locking chain type and if broken would tend to ravel fromthe top to the bottom of the showing made in Fig. 4 as indicated by thearrow A.

The seamingstitch 8 also comprises two threads 8a and 8b. The thread 8apenetrates the fabric along the seam as indicated by the penetratingportions 10. These portions provide loops along the side of the fabricopposite the loops 5c as shown in Fig. 4. The thread 8b passes throughthe loops 8c and has the portions 9 cast over the upper edges of thefabric sections 3, 4 as shown. These portions 9 are also looped aboutthe penetrating thread portions 10 where such portions enter the fabricas'shown. The direction of ravel of the seaming stitch 8 is toward thetop of the showing in Fig. 4 as indicated by the arrow marked B andtherefore is opposite to the direction of ravel to the other seamingstitch 5. It will be apparent from the showing made in Fig. 4 thatshould the thread 5b of the seaming stitch -5 be broken it would releasethe loops 5c and thread 50. could be withdrawn from the seam.-

similarly a breakage in the thread 8b would re- 1,asv,oco v leasetheloops 8c of the otherF-thread 8a and thread 80 could be pulled fromthe seam. The

showing made in Fig. 4 takes in a portion of the rear seam of the hosecomprising a part-of the atthe heel and the adjoining part in the leg ofthe hose. The showing made in Fig.4 is

considerably enlarged and therefore indicates rather a large interval ofspacing between the penetrating thread portions 7 and 10 of therespective stitches. In practice these portions would bevery close.together, if not almost overlapping.

The seam structure of my invention has the advantage that it reenforcesthe seam at the heel;

of the stocking where the greater wear'occurs on the seam by-reason ofcontact with the shoe.

Thus the frequent seam breaking as encountered in stockings asheretofore produced with a single seaming stitch at the heel of the hoseis avoided and the usefulness ofthe hose materially pro longed. This isan important advantage in hosiery manufacture in that it reduces wearand portion subject to completed in the regular way. The foot seam couldbe made in accordance with my invention for reenforcing this seam,- ifdesired. 1

While I have shown my invention applied the rear seam, it could beapplied to anvseam or to any portion thereof as may require areenforcement against wear. Moreover, thev details of construction andarrangement of parts herein shown and described may be variously changedand modified without departing from the spirit and scope of my inventionexcept as pointed out in the appended claims. i I I claim as myinvention:

' 1. A stocking having a heel seam at the rear of the stocking, saidseam being constituted of two seaming stitches, both extending along thestocking at the seam and arranged with one stitch enclosing the otherstitch, whereby the fabric penetrating thread portions of the innerstitch extending across the seam on the outer side of the stocking willbe protected by the corresponding thread portions of the outer stitch,saidstitches, each being of the interlocked chain type capable ofraveiing in one direction only, and applied to the seam with theirdirection of ravel in opposite directions to prevent raveiing of theseam on the occurrence of a break therein.

2. A full-fashioned stocking having a seem at the rear of the stockingalong the leg and the heel portions thereof, said seam being constitutedof two seaming stitches, one extending along the heel and the legportions of the stocking at the seam, and the other stitch beingconfined to the heel portion of the stocking at the seam and enclosingthe adjacent portion of the first stitch,

3. In a stocking, a seam exposedon the outer side of the stocking andhaving one portion subiect to greater wear than another portion, said I1,987,090 seam being constituted of two seaming stitches,

fabric penetrating portions of the inner stitch extending across theseam on the outer side of the stocking will be protected by thecorresponding thread portions of the outer stitch, said stitches,

each being of the interlocking chain type capable of raveling in onedirection only and applied to the seam with their direction of ravel inopposite directions.

4. The method of producing a reeniorced heel seam for a stocking,consisting in running the stocking at the seam through a-seaming machinein reverse directions, first in one direction to lay one stitch alongthe seam and then in the opposite direction to lay another stitch alongthe seam and over the first stitch, whereby the penetrating threadportions of the inner stitch extending v 3 across the seam on the outerside of the stocking will be protected by the corresponding threadportions of the outer stitch. v

5. The method of producing a seam at the rear of a full-fashionedstocking along the leg and the heel portions thereof, consisting inrunning the stocking at the seam through a seaming machine, first in onedirection to lay a stitch along the entire length oi the seam includingthe leg and the heel portions thereof, and then in the oppositedirection along the heel portion oi the seam only to lay a stitch overthe adjacent portion of the first stitch to enclose the same and to havethe direction of rave] of the two stitches in reverse relation.

6. The method of providing against runs in the heel closure of hosierywhich consists in twice seaming the adjacent edges of the fabrictogether,

first in one direction, then in the opposite direction by means of astitch which ravels only in the 20 direction opposite to that in whichit is placed. GUSTAV WEIN'HOLZ.

